We all know that YouTube has video ranking algorithms - indicators that allow you to get a video to the top, get a lot of views, get to the main and related videos.
All authors know about this algorithm, but no one really understands how it works. Video creators have to draw their own conclusions based on their observations of the metrics, their interactions, and the impact on the video's placement in YouTube search results.
Leading SEO specialist Brian Dean did his own analysis. He researched 1.3 million videos to understand the relationship between a video and its YouTube submission. We tell you what factors affect the ranking of a video.
1)Comments. The more comments a video has, the higher it ranks in the search results. This is an indicator that people are passionate about your video.
2) The length of the video. Long videos are higher in search results than short ones. The average video length on page 1 is 14 minutes and 50 seconds.
3) Distribution in social networks. The fact that people share your video speaks volumes about its value. The more reposts a video has, the higher it is in the search results.
4) Video views. YouTube continues to rank highly viewed videos for a different reason. Views generate other signals for assessing the quality of content, such as total watch time and comments.
5) The number of subscribers. New and small channels can overtake big brands in the rankings. The number of channel subscribers has very little effect on the overall rating.
6) Likes. YouTube loves videos that engage the audience, so your position in the search results depends on the number of likes.
7)Generating subscribers with video. A video that generates subscribers is a signal of quality. The more subscriptions the video brought, the higher it will be in the search results.
8)Tag optimization. Very weak ranking factor. The target “keys” in the tags will help with content sorting, but will have little effect on the search results.
9)Header optimization. Minimal result, as with tag optimization.
10) Description optimizations. This factor does not affect the result of issuance. But keywords in the description increase the position of the video for relevant queries. The video appears in the recommendations block.
11) High definition video. HD quality videos are 3x more likely to top the list than standard definition videos.
💪Focus on retention, traffic dynamics and customer engagement to get to the top on YouTube. Don't spend a lot of time optimizing titles, descriptions, and tags for SERPs. This is a weak ranking factor. You need optimization to be featured in related and recommended videos.
